Los Angeles first responders are grappling with delays in handling 911 calls due to insufficient staffing, leading operators to urge city officials for increased funding.

Amid ongoing budget discussions to finalize the 2026–27 financial plan, the civilian union AFSCME, which represents dispatchers, delivered a straightforward appeal during a meeting on Monday: prioritize funding for critical roles that provide emergency assistance.

Public Enemy’s 1990 track ‘911 Is a Joke’ famously critiqued emergency services across the U.S. with a satirical edge.

However, the current situation in Los Angeles is no laughing matter, according to the union.

“If nobody’s answering the phone, nobody’s coming,” stated Larry Gates, president of AFSCME, in an interview with The California Post.

This serves as a stark warning about a system under strain, where every unanswered call and unfilled position adds to the pressure on a crucial service relied upon by millions.

In Los Angeles, 911 calls are routed through the LAPD Metropolitan Communications Dispatch Center, where more than 500 civilian dispatchers — known as Police Service Representatives — handle a relentless call volume, often taking 75 to 250 calls per shift.

Staffing shortages have been flagged for years in council motions and internal reports, with officials repeatedly tying delays in answering calls to a lack of trained dispatchers.

The city hired 144 dispatcher trainees in 2024, but just 56 in 2025. At the same time, 75 operators left their positions, leaving the department with fewer experienced workers than it started with.

“Every 30 years, we’re scrambling,” Gates said. “We do a big hiring push, then decades later everyone retires at once.”

In a city of nearly 4 million people, officials say about 100 operators must be on duty across a 24-hour period just to meet minimum standards.

In 2024, Los Angeles answered just over half of its 911 calls within 15 seconds, far short of the state requirement that 90% be picked up that quickly.

“They’re as bad as you would think,” Gates said of emergency calls. “Murders, assaults, you name it. We get those calls.”

Those high-stakes emergencies are mixed with a constant flood of lower-level calls, parking disputes, noise complaints, minor crashes, all entering the same system.

Every call first goes through a primary 911 operator, who must quickly determine whether it is a life-threatening situation. If it’s not, it gets pushed to a secondary, non-emergency queue — where a backlog builds.

Non-emergency calls can sit unanswered for long stretches, with average hold times topping three minutes — and far longer in extreme cases — because operators are tied up handling immediate emergencies.

Aaron Peardon, a business representative with District Council 36, said the issue also comes down to how the city values these roles. “The civilian side is the backbone.”

“You’re taking the worst call of someone’s life,” Peardon said. “Then you have to go to the next one.”

Peardon also added that this kind of work should not be automated.

“You want a human being on the line,” Peardon said. “Someone who can react and understand what’s really happening.”

City budget hearings are expected to continue through mid-May, when the Budget and Finance Committee finalizes its recommendations. The full City Council will then vote on a final spending package.

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